Building construction



Jan. 3, 1939.

R. M. CALKINS ET AL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed April 29, 1956 Patented Jan. 3, 1939 PATENT OFFICE p r 2,142,110 aomnmc coss'rauo'rrox Raymond M. Calkins, Deerfleld, and

Swank, Gricago, Ill.

James W,

Application April 29, 1936, Serial No. 78,960

8 Claims. (C1- 189-34) Our invention relates to building construction or the type employing sheet steel or like material for making up a building structure such as a floor,

a side wall of a building, a partition, a ceiling, a roof, or any other arrangement where a facing is to be provided of such strength as to at least maintain its owil weight between spaced supporting members with a reasonable margin of safety or in many cases to support a heavy load or to resist heavy pressure of the wind or otherwise. It is the object of our invention to provide an improved arrangement of this type in which surfacing material such as sheet steel formed in strips is bent along longitudinal lines at both sides to form channels whose side flanges stand preferably at right angles to the face portions or webs of the channels, in which a plurality of such strips are brought into effective cooperation whereby the supporting strength of the flange portions shall be utilized to great advantage in such manner as to insure its being permanently effective, and in which the parts are formed in units of such size and shape as to enable them to be handled readily and easily.

It is one of the objects of our invention to provide an improved form and arrangement of parts of this type in which a plurality of conduits are provided within the structural members longitudinally of the strips which shall be readily adaptable for any desired use-in connection with wiring systems, or heating, ventilating, orother air-conditioning operations.

It is another object of our invention to improve building construction in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which we have accomplished our several objects are illustrated in the drawing and are hereinafter specifically described. That which we believe to be new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the claims.

In the drawin8,--

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view through the preferred form of structural unit by which our improved results are brought about;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on a considerably smaller scale through a plurality of units in cooperative relation, the edge units being broken away and one of them being shown in raised position with respect to the other units at a preliminary point of their assembly; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the side edge portions of a floor embodying our improvements and showing the preferred form ofv filler plate to be employed at the sides of the room adjacent to the side walls.

-Referring now to the several figures of the drawing, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, II and I i indicate two channel members arranged together in reversed position with respect to each other 6 as shown in Fig. 1 to make up a unit structure. Each of the channel members is made up from a sheet of steel or like material bent longitudinally at opposite sides to provide flanges l2 and II at opposite sidesof the intermediate web por- 10 tion ll. As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, each of the end flanges I2 is also b'ent longitudinally thereof at its free edge, being bent inwardly and backwardly to provide a small channel portion ll on the inner face of such end flange. Each of II the intermediate flanges I3 is likewise bent along longitudinal lines at its free edge, each of such flanges being .bent outwardly and backwardly to provide a small channel I. on its outer face. With the two large channel members II and II arranged in reverse position with respect to each other'as shown in said Fig. 1, the parts are secured rigidly in position preferably by welding the intermediate small channel of each of the channel strips with the adjacent intermediate 25 other type providing'supporting surfaces upon which the ends of the units may be A 40 unit is first placed in position at one side of the room, either with or without a flller plate as hereinafter described. A series of similar" units are then placed in position successively with the wing at one side of one unit cooperating with the wing at the opposite side of the adjacent unit for providing successive conduits as shown in Pig. 2. In this arrangement, the small channel II on the end flange II of each of the units slides into and has a working fit in the small intermediate channel l6 of the adjacent unit. 'In the assembled form. an end flange l2 and an intermediate flange II are arranged in face to face engagement with each other and held rigidly against 55 lateral movement so as to reinforce each other for providing the required vertical strength.

In the arrangement as shown in Fig. 1 illustrating a complete unit, the structure comprises four sections of sheet metal in parallel arrangement with respect to each other, being the four flanges l2 and H, the intermediate flanges l3 being connected by web portions of sheet metal at both edges and each of the intermediate sections being connected at one edge with the end section by another web portion, the web portion connecting one intermediate flange and the adjacent end flange being at one face of the unit while the web portion connecting the intermediate flange and the adjacent end flange at the opposite end of the unit is located also at the opposite face 01' the unit.

For finishing a floor at the side of the room toward which the floor is being extended, we have provided a flller plate I! formed of sheet metal provided with a flange at one edge similar to one of the end flanges I 2 above described so as to flt within the small channel portion ii of the adjacent intermediate flange IS. The plate is at its opposite edge rests upon the small channel ii of the end flange I! as shown at the right in Fig. 3. If desired, a similar filler plate I9 is employed at the opposite side of the room for cooperation with the initially laid unit.

By the provision of our improved construction, a maximum strength is provided in proportion to the weight of material employed. The arrangement is such that the units can be handled very readily both for shipment and for assembly. The vertical beam portions of a series of the units employed for providing a floor are all secured rigidly in position so as to be held against transverse movement whereby we are assured that the full strength of the material is utilized at all times for supporting and reinforcing the structure.

While we prefer to employ the form of arrangement as shown in the drawing and as above described, it is to be understood that our invention is not to be limited thereto except so far as the narrower claims may be so limited in terms, it being understood that changes might well be made in the form and arrangement without departing from our invention. I

We claim:-

1. In a building construction panel, the combination of two strips of sheet metal each bent longitudinally into the form of a channel comprising plain straight side flanges formed integrally with a plain straight web portion extending continuous without a break from'one flange to the other, and means carried by one of the side flanges of each of said channel members for securing said flange flrmly at its edge to the web portion of the other channel member for holding said channel members together in unit form in reverse position with respect to each other so as to provide an intermediate conduit portion with wing portions extending beyond the sides of the conduit in opposite directions at opposite faces of the panel.

2. In a building construction panel, the combination of two strips of sheet material bent longitudinally into the form of channels and with each of the side flanges bent longitudinally at right angles to provide narrow flange portions parallel with the web of the channel, said two channels being arranged in reversed position with respect to each other to provide an intermediate conduit portion with one of the narrow flange portions of each channel strip secured flrmly to.

an intermediate portion of the web of the other channel strip.

3. In a building construction panel, the combination of two strips of sheet material bent longitudinally into the form of channels with each of the flanges bent backwardly upon itself to provide a small channel at each side of the strip, said large channels being secured together in unit form in reversed position with respect to each other so as to provide an intermediate conduit portion with two of the small channels in intermediate position adjacent to said conduit portion and wing portions at opposite sides of the conduit portion each comprising a web portion extending away from the intermediate conduit and a side flange portion at right angles to the web portion, the small intermediate channels adjacent to the conduit being of a size to receive snugly therein the small end channels of similar units adjacent thereto.

4. In a building construction, the combination of a series of strips oi sheet metal each bent longitudinally into the form of a channel and having each of its side flanges bent longitudinally at right angles to provide a narrow flange portion parallel with the web of the channel, said channel strips being arranged in successively reversed position with respect to each other providing a series of conduits between successive side flanges, one of the narrow flange portions of each of said channel strips being connected with an intermediate portion of the web of the adjacent channel strip, and means for releasably connecting the other narrow flange portion of each-oi said channel strips with the adjacent narrow flange portion of the adjacent channel strip.

5. In a building construction, the combination of a series of strips of sheet metal each bent longitudinally into the form of a channel and having each of its side flanges bent backwardly upon itself to provide a small channel at each side of the strip, said channel strips being arranged in successively reversed position with respect to each other providing a series of conduits between successive flanges, one of the small channel portions of each of said channel strips being connected with an intermediate portion of the web of the adjacent channel strip and the other small channel portion of each of said channel strips having a working flt in the adjacent small channel portionof the adjacent channel strip.

6. In a building construction panel, the combination of two strips of sheet material each bent longitudinally into the form of a channel with one side flange bent inwardly and backwardly to provide a small channel on its inner face and the other side flange bent outwardly and backwardly to provide a slightly larger channel on its outer face, said channel strips being arranged in reversed position with respect to each other so as to provide an intermediate conduit between the intermediate side flanges, the intermediate flange of each of said channel strips being se cured firmly to an intermediate portion of the web of the other channel strip.

'7. In a building construction, the combination of a series of strips of sheet metal each bent into the form of a channel, said channel strips being arranged in succesively reversed position with respect to each other, an intermediate portion of the web of each of said channel strips being reinforced by two side flanges of the adjacent two channel strips in face to face engagement with each other, one of said side flanges having a small channel formed on its free edge having a snug engagement with the free edge of the other side flan'ge.

8. In a building construction, the combination of a series of strips 01' sheet metal each bent into the form of a channel, said channel strips being arranged in successively reversed position with respect to each other, an intermediate portion of the web of each of said channel strips being re- 10 iniorced by two side flanges of the adjacent two channel strips in lace to face engagement with each other, one of said side flanges having a small channel formed on its free edge secured rigidly to said intermediate web portion and the other of said side flanges having a small channel formed on its free edge having a snug working lit in said first named small channel. 

